Saturday, October 10, 2009

black mesa junction with yote

The day got off to an auspicious beginning when a bird flew into the house. I was in the backyard trying to charge the solar light for tomorrow's wheat paste installation on an abandoned house. Apparently I startled a finch nesting in my overgrown garden of flowers and into the house he flew. I got my friend Yorke's attention. He saw the bird and tried to get it to go out the front door. It wasn't happening. Yorke opened the front door and tried to shoo the bird out. Instead, the little birdie turned and flew towards daylight in the back of the house smacking himself against the back window. Yorke found him passed out on the futon near the window. The bird startled a bit when Yorke picked him up.

Yorke placed the dazed bird in the middle of the backyard to recuperate. Amazingly, the bird sat upright though clearly stunned. It didn't move at all (or fall over). Yorke and I resumed making wheat paste for the installation at Black Mesa Junction. However, concerned with the bird's well being, Yorke went out to the backyard to check on the bird who remained immobile and upright.

Yorke joked that I have a pet bird now. We imagined the bird in the same place mid winter surrounded by a foot of snow and started to think of a name for my new pet. About that time a raven swooped down and took the little bird away. We thought, "...hmmm, maybe that's why the little bird was hanging out in the overgrown garden in the first place."

Off we went to wheat paste Black Mesa Junction. The wind wreaked havoc and extended our day to 6 hours of work on the wall. Several people from the community came up and gave us love as we labored to get the piece up. We thanked them for taking the time to check it out and for the support.

It was a good day. We send love to the bird's spirit. A big word of thanks goes to Stephanie Jackson who provided invaluable assistance in pasting up this big ass wall (and for jumping my dead car battery). We're stoked for what tomorrow may bring.